Sunshine Tonight
by hannahorgrace
Summary: "She's standing in front of him, hands on her hips, hair still damp and wavy from showering, but her eyes have brightened up a little bit. His shirt is too big for her but she's tucked it in his sweatpants, and he wonders if his clothes will smell like her when he gets them back. "Okay," he smiles. "It was just good timing then." - Will/Alicia, Georgetown era.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note** : Hey everyone! Here I am with my new Will/Alicia fanfiction. I decided to go with the one that takes place in Georgetown instead of the sequel of _You open yourself up to suffering_ , because I kind of needed a break from that storyline. So, the sequel will come when I'm done posting this new story. This one takes place during the Georgetown era. I really hope you enjoy it! - hannahorgrace

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own The Good Wife.

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

The first impression Will Gardner had of Alicia Florrick — Alicia Cavanaugh, at the time — was not a good one. It wasn't a bad one, but it wasn't a good one either. To be fair, he hadn't made such a good impression on her either.

Will had never been the kind of guy who showed off just for the sake of it. It wasn't as if he lacked confidence and wanted people to get a better opinion of him than he had of himself (he was pretty confident already). From a young age, he had always organized his life around goals he set for himself and what it would take to get him there.

He wasn't a hard worker, buried in books and living at the library type of student, but he worked hard enough to turn challenges into successes, whenever it really meant something to him. He was subtle, also, in the way he dealt with these things. He did go to the library, but he didn't spend enough time there to make people think that he was the kind of guy who devoted all his free time to his studies. But what the other students didn't know was that, once back home, he would shut himself in his room and spend a few more hours studying, you know, just in case.

When it came to baseball, he never missed practice, even though he always made sure to arrive at the last minute, so that everyone would think he was a laid back type of guy, but he would go back to the field every Sunday and practice on his own. You know, just in case.

And on the matter of girls, well… it was pretty much the same. He had discovered in high school that the trick was in the subtlety, in the art of seduction. Somewhere in between _I'm interested in you and I want you to know it_ , and _I'm sorry, what was your name again?_

Alicia, on the contrary, had a problem with self-esteem. It wasn't the result of something someone had put her through. Her parents were supportive, her brother looked up to her, her friends encouraged her. Rather, her lack of confidence had originated from something she had created for herself. Her parents had always been proud of her, not exceedingly, but enough so that disappointing them was one of her biggest fears. She was the first child, so she had always felt the pressure of setting an example for Owen. And of course, she was a woman. No matter how much she fought against the idea that being a woman, she had to work harder to prove herself, she did it anyway. But the reasons didn't matter to her; whatever it was that made her fight, whether she felt the reason was legitimate or not, she didn't care: she fought.

The problem, when you convince yourself that you have to prove something, is that every failure hurts twice as bad. Instead of being just an accident, she saw every defeat as a disappointment to her parents, a letdown in the eyes of her brother, and a downfall in her own. So to prevent that, she spent unnecessary hours in the library reading over cases she already knew by heart, from the arguments on the brief to the dissenting opinions written by the minority. It was stupid, she knew, and it reminded her of her insecurities in high school, when she had a math test and she made herself type "4 x 10", and she sighed in relief when the calculator showed "40". Of course she could do the math on her own, but when she lacked confidence, her brains stopped functioning, and she had to go through these stupid rituals because you know.

Just in case.

(To this day, Alicia has never admitted to anyone having ever typed "4 x 10" on a calculator.)

With time, she had learned to work through her self-esteem problem, and turn it into positive energy that made her work even harder. So she spent longer hours at the library, sat in the front rows, read every book the teachers recommended, went to every class. It gave her the feeling that if she did all these things, then she would have it all under control, and nothing could get in the way of her achievements.

So when Will Gardner met Alicia Cavanaugh for the first time, it wasn't the smoothest of encounters.

Will was sitting in the back of the classroom, because he didn't want anyone to think he was trying too hard. Alicia was sitting in the front rows, because she didn't care if people thought she was trying too hard.

Alicia was listening intently to the teacher, paying attention to everything he said, and Will was too busy discussing last night's game to pay proper attention to the class — or so their teacher thought. So when a burst of laughter came from the back and Alicia turned around and gave him a killer glare, he smiled at her, provocative.

"Maybe Mr. Gardner can answer my question," their teacher had said.

And it turned out he could. So when he mentioned Brown v. Board of Education and Roe v. Wade as landmark cases that had been litigated based on the first section of the 14th Amendment, Alicia frowned at him, and he smiled in return, making sure she caught it.

From that moment, Will decided a great distraction for him in class would be to annoy Alicia Cavanaugh. So when the time came for their first mock trial, he saw the perfect opportunity for his new challenge to try to upset her.

And upset her he did.

Every question she asked, he would try his best to find grounds to object. Beyond the scope. Hearsay. Argumentative. Calls for speculation. He had learned them all, in order to try to throw her off. And it didn't disappoint.

In the end, her team ended up winning, but he didn't care. He had played his part well, regardless of who had won the case. So when she came up to him after their pretend hearing, he was surprised.

"What's your problem?" she asked, one arm carrying her books, the other on her hip.

He grinned. "My problem?"

"Yeah. What was that about?" she frowned.

"I'm sorry, did I hurt your feelings?" he chuckled.

She scoffed. "You didn't hurt my feelings. We won."

"Good, so what's _your_ problem?" he said, throwing her question back at her.

"My— what?" she asked, obviously taken aback. "I don't have a problem."

"Great," he said through a smile. "Then there's no problem."

She stood frozen as he walked past her.

"What was that all about?" Alicia's roommate Sarah asked.

"Nothing," Alicia mumbled, turning around. "What a jerk."

Sarah smiled as she walked next to Alicia. "A cute jerk though."

It turned out Will wasn't such a jerk, in the end. A few times, they ended up sitting at the same table — not on purpose, admittedly — and she had seen him take the time to explain certain legal principles or reasonings behind cases, to some of their classmates who hadn't quite understood the teacher's explanation. He wasn't as self-assured as Alicia thought he was, and it wasn't long before their classmates found them sitting at the same table — on purpose, this time — to study together.

And then they were grabbing coffee before class together, or walking home after class together (they didn't live in the same building, but Will's place was just a couple of blocks after Alicia's apartment).

And then there were study sessions at her place and movie nights at his.

"People are taking bets," Sarah had told her once they'd walked out of the library one night, on the way to their apartment. "On how long it is before you guys get together."

"What?!" Alicia had said, her pitch a little higher than usual. "That's never going to happen."

"I know, that's what I keep telling them."

Alicia frowned. "Why would you say that?" she asked, trying to hide the fact that she was a bit offended.

"He has a girlfriend, remember?"

Alicia sighed. "Oh, right, yeah, he does. I know."

"So, you know," Sarah went on. "That's why you guys can't…"

"We wouldn't— I mean, even if he didn't have a girlfriend, we wouldn't…" she said, and she realized she didn't _quite_ believe herself. Of course, Will did have a girlfriend, and there had never been any ambiguity between them, so there hadn't really been an opportunity for her to even consider anything.

"Right," Sarah said, her lip curving upwards into a half-smile that Alicia decided to ignore.

What if Will didn't have a girlfriend though? She thought of all the times he had walked her home after class, or after having spent the evening at the library going over cases, and all the movies they had watched together on his on her couch. She thought of the friendships she had with her other male friends — actually, both male and female — and how none even compared to the one she had with Will. He was her best friend, she realized. So even if Will didn't have a girlfriend, she didn't think that they could ever be more than that. Friends.

And to her surprise, she felt sad.

She didn't know if this realization was what made her accept Samuel's offer to take her out on a Sunday night, a few weeks before finals, but she accepted.

He took her out for drinks after dinner, and it was nice because they had a lot of things in common, and he made her laugh, and he made her feel appreciated. After her third drink, he moved closer to her on the booth and pressed his lips against the corner of her mouth. She'd been surprised, but nicely surprised, so she let him.

They stayed a little more, he bought her another drink, and then she didn't know what was happening but he was paying the bill and handing her her scarf and coat.

Outside, he kissed her again, and she kissed him back. It was nice, and it was warm, and she didn't notice how it had started to snow.

But when he walked her to her apartment and followed her to her doorstep, she felt like he wasn't ready to say goodbye to her just then. She explained that she was tired and didn't want to go to sleep too late, because tomorrow was Monday, and she didn't want to start the week by being completely exhausted on the first day.

He'd glared at her then, asked her if she was serious, and when she nodded, he scowled and moved away from her. As he walked away, he just said that he should have listened to Will when he'd said she wasn't the kind of girl who was going to put out on the first night.

"What the hell did you tell Sam about me?" she asked the next day, when they met at the coffeehouse before classes.

"What?" Will asked, looking like he'd just rolled out of bed.

"Samuel. Your friend", she said, eyes piercing. "You told him something about me."

Will yawned, then took a sip of his coffee. "Yeah," he started, rubbing his temple. "He asked if you and I were, you know, seeing each other. He thinks you're beautiful or something."

Alicia frowned. "And?"

"And," Will said, yawning again. "I told him we weren't."

"And that's it?" she asked.

"Yeah, that's it. Alicia, what's wrong?"

She moved in front of him then, forcing him to stop.

"That's not what he said to me yesterday."

Will sighed, looked into her eyes. "He said he wanted to take you out for drinks and, you know…"

Her eyes stared deeply into him, searching, almost accusing, so he went on.

"He said he wanted to get you to sleep with him. So I told him I didn't think you were the kind of girl to do that," he added, and her mouth slowly opened up in disbelief. "I mean, you know, I didn't think— Alicia, what's going on?"

She scowled, and shook her head. "You don't know me as well as you think you do, Will."

He frowned then, a little bit unnerved by her reaction. "Look, he asked because he knows we hang out a lot. I just told him what I thought."

"Yeah, okay," she said. Then she turned around and hurried towards the building where they were having their first class, not letting him catch up with her.

She didn't let him sit next to her and when the class ended, she was gone before he could say anything.

* * *

 **Author's note** : So, here is the first chapter. I really hope you enjoyed it. I have a few more chapters ready to post, so let me know if you'd like to read more! I'm going to try to be consistent with my updating on this story, so if you're interested, I'll try to have a new chapter up every Monday or so. Please let me know what you think! Thanks for reading :) - hannahorgrace


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note** : Hey everyone, thank you for your reviews on the first chapter of this story. Here goes the second chapter! The tense changes here from past to present and will be present for the rest of the story. Past tense just made more sense for the first chapter. I hope you enjoy! - hannahorgrace

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

When Will comes home from baseball practice that night, he finds Alicia sitting on the steps outside his door. Her head is almost entirely wrapped up in a scarf, and when he takes notice of her, he runs up the stairs to find her visibly shaking from the cold.

"Alicia, what the..." he starts, getting his keys from his bag. "It's freezing, what are you doing?!"

She barely moves, just enough to let him know she's acknowledged his presence and has registered his concern.

He opens the door, drops his bag inside and comes back out, grabbing her hands and pulling her up to her feet.

"I'm still mad at you", she mumbles. Her mouth feels frozen, making it hard to enunciate.

"Okay," he starts, pushing her in front of him. "Can you be mad at me _inside_ the apartment?" he asks, the concern obvious in his eyes. "It's freezing out here," he repeats.

Inside, he takes her coat and scarf from her and she just stands in the living room, eyes following his every move in a sort of unbreakable daze. She wonders then why it is that when no one seems to want her, really want her, for who she is — not Samuel, not even herself — she wonders why Will is still there. She wonders what it is that he sees in her that makes him want to stay, to pick her up from his front door when she's been sitting miserably in the cold. She wonders how, in the cold of the night, he's the only one who can make her feel warm on the inside.

He helps her remove her shoes and her sweater, holding her hands to feel how cold they are, and with the warmth of his touch, the frozen air around her seems to melt away, just like her anger.

"Alicia, you're freezing…" he, starts, and the way he says it is almost condescending, like he's speaking to a child who doesn't know better. She frowns, and she wants to say something back, something like _You're not my dad_ , or _Why do you care_ , but he speaks again.

"What the hell were you doing?"

He looks into her eyes and she stares back at him, speechless. When she doesn't answer, he walks her to his bathroom and turns the shower on.

"Get in there," he orders gently, guiding her towards the bathtub. "I'll get you some dry clothes."

She watches him disappear behind the door and, feeling the heat emanating from the showerhead, she removes the rest of her clothes and gets in the shower. She lets the water roll on her skin until she feels warm, feels the muscles release tension in her back.

"Can I come in?" he asks, but the door is half-open.

He leaves a towel and a set of fresh clothes by the shower and closes the door behind him.

* * *

When she walks into the room wearing his AC/DC t-shirt, a pair of his grey sweatpants and a towel around her head, his heart skips a beat. (She's tightened the strings, the ones that he never uses, so that the sweatpants don't fall, and he wonders if those were especially made for guys who lend their sweatpants to their girlfriends.)

He turns his attention back to the food he's cooking. "Feel better?"

She nods, even if he can't see her. "Thanks," she whispers.

"Anytime," he says. "Now what was that about?"

She looks up at him. Her eyes are a little red, and at first he thinks it's from the shower, but when she speaks and her voice is shaky, he wonders if she's been crying.

"I don't want to talk about it," she mumbles.

"Okay," he says, serving the pasta. "Okay," he repeats, not knowing what else to say.

He wants to make her feel better though, so he walks over to her and wraps her in his arms, stroking her back gently in an attempt to comfort her. She's hesitant at first, but then he feels her arms on his back and she rests her forehead against his neck. He's not sure whether she's crying or not, but he feels her shiver in his arms, so he presses a kiss on the top of her head and holds her tighter.

She pulls away then, running her fingers under her eyes to brush away the tears he hadn't realize she'd been shedding, and he wishes she would tell him what's going on so he could try to find the right words. He's not so good with words, but he thinks he knows her well enough that he might know what to say. Still, she doesn't share more, so he doesn't press for more.

"Come on," he says. "I'm starving."

* * *

"Will, it's alright," she says. "I can sleep on the couch."

He's convinced her to stay at his place for the night, invoking the late hour and the snow. Mostly, he's rarely ever seen her this upset, and he doesn't really want her to go back to her place alone, not knowing what is tormenting her so much.

"I know you can sleep on the couch, but the heating isn't working in the living room, and I'm not letting you get sick."

She frowns. "What about you?"

He smiles. He knows he's won the argument but she's not ready to give up just yet. "I'll be okay," he nods. "I wasn't the one sitting in the cold waiting for you."

She's quiet then, and he regrets mentioning it as soon as he sees her gaze shift to the ground.

"I wasn't waiting for you," she mumbles.

She's standing in front of him, hands on her hips, her hair still damp and wavy from the shower she took, but her eyes have brightened up a little bit. His shirt is too big for her but she's tucked it in his sweatpants, and he wonders if his clothes will smell like her when he gets them back.

"Okay," he smiles. "It was just good timing then."

She lifts her eyes to look at him then and the corner of her lips curves into a half-smile.

He chuckles. "Let me just get a blanket from my room. We can watch a movie."

She wants to watch E.T. and he wants to watch The Shining, so they settle on Back to the Future. While he puts it on, she goes to the kitchen and makes tea and popcorn.

"Are you still cold?" he asks, seeing her bring out the tea to the living room.

"A little bit," she answers, "but with the tea and the blankets I'll be fine."

He brings sweaters for the both of them from his room, and when they settle on the couch with the tea and blankets, he doesn't see her shiver anymore.

They both know this movie by heart already, so they spend the first hour talking over it and only ever watching the movie when it gets louder than their conversation. After a while though, Will quiets down, so Alicia rests her head on his shoulder and they watch in silence.

When the credits roll down the screen, she looks to her right and sees his eyes are closed.

"Will," she whispers, getting up from the couch.

"Mmh…" he mumbles, half asleep.

"Movie's over," she speaks softly. "Go to sleep."

She sets the pillow on the side of the couch and instinctively, he shifts from his sitting position and lies down.

She makes sure he has enough blankets, turns off the lights and goes to his room.

* * *

"Leesh," he whispers. "Move over."

She wakes up in the middle of the night to the sound of Will's voice. It takes a few seconds for her to realize where she is and figure out whose bed she's in. At first, she thinks it's a dream, because she's never woken up in the middle of the night in the same room as Will — well, unless if she includes a few dreams she's been having recently, which she deliberately chooses not to think about.

"Can I sleep here with you?" Will asks, as she sits up from the bed to look at him. "It's freezing in the living room," he continues. "I woke up and I can't go back to sleep because of the cold."

She stretches and yawns before she answers.

"Yes," she mumbles with a nod.

She moves to the side and he climbs into bed with her.

"Thanks," he whispers. "Go back to sleep."

"Oh my god," she exclaims in surprise as his arm brushes past hers when he lies down. "You're freezing."

"I'll be fine," he says, as she runs her hand up and down his arm to warm him up. "Go back to sleep," he repeats.

"I hope you don't snore," she murmurs, before falling asleep again.

Will smiles, and watches her until her breathing evens out and he sees her chest rise and fall slowly as she sleeps.

He notices then that his sheets smell like her, and he wonders how long it will take him to fall asleep again.

* * *

When he wakes up in the morning, Alicia is still sleeping and her arm is casually resting over his chest.

He smiles, and then sighs, because he wants to run his hand through her hair and wrap her in his arms, he wants to feel her skin under his hands and press his lips against hers, but she's sleeping and she's his friend and maybe it's not a good idea.

He reaches for her hand then, just for a second, with the intention of pulling away before he wakes her up, but in her sleep, she softly squeezes his hand and he decides not to let go.

Maybe after the finals are over, he can tell her how he feels. He doesn't want to ruin what they have, but if there's even the slightest chance that she feels the same, he wants to know.

But for now, the timing isn't right.

* * *

 **Author's note** : Hi again, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please do tell me what you think, just so that I know if it's worth it that I continue posting this story. Thanks again for reading! - hannahorgrace


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note** : Hey all! I'm sorry this chapter is late. I decided last week, at the last minute, that I needed to write a whole new chapter in between the one I last posted and the one I was going to post last week, so that kind of messed with my schedule. I hope this new chapter makes up for it and that you enjoy reading it! - hannahorgrace

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

Finals, he decides, when it comes to law school, is the best way to figure out who people really are: from the students who bury themselves in the library, to those who, in between Constitutional Law and Civil Procedure, whisper _screw it_ and end up gathering at O'Donnell's, the Irish pub closest to campus, with enough beer to forget that finals are starting on Monday, and the ones who procrastinate until the very last minute and try their best to learn one semester worth of Criminal Procedure the night before the exam.

And then there's Alicia.

Alicia started the revision week by putting an alarm clock every day at 7:30 am (weekends included), so she could start studying at 8.

"The memory works better in the morning," she tells him when he joins her at the library at 11 am on the first day.

Still, he joins her every day at around 11, and they never leave before 8 pm.

By the end of the first week of finals, they've had more take out than they've ever had since the semester started. It's unhealthy, she keeps reminding him, and they can't really afford it, but then he tells her that if they want to cook for themselves, they're going to have to go grocery shopping, and _actually_ cook for themselves.

So, on Saturday night, she frowns and gets the Chinese menu from the kitchen counter.

"Chinese? Again?" he asks, eyebrows furrowed.

"It's either that or pizza," she says, dropping the menu in his lap and sitting back on the floor in front of him.

"Or we could go to that burger place," he offers.

"Will…" she sighs, rolling her eyes. "We don't have time to go to the restaurant."

"Yeah we do. It's like 5 minutes away from here," he smiles, trying to sound convincing.

"But it'll take so much time there, I mean—"

"Come on," he says, getting up and holding his hand out to her. "I'm not giving you a choice."

"What does that mean?" she frowns, hiding her smile.

"It means that today is Saturday, we've had exams all week, and we deserve a little break if you don't want our brains to fry or melt from thinking too much and waking up way too early."

She sighs.

She knows he's right, but she still thinks it's not a smart idea. Still, he keeps his eyes trained on hers, the corners of his lips curved into a soft smile, and a burger _does_ sound appealing at this point.

"Alright," she says. "Just for dinner though, right?"

"Yes, just for dinner. And a beer."

"Will!" she interrupts. "That's not—"

"Come on," he says, lengthening the last syllable like a child would. "It's Saturday. You need to relax. And we both know you're going to do great next week anyway."

"We don't know that," she smiles, uncontrollably.

"Alright, fine, you're going to do horribly, so you might as well start drinking now."

She frowns, but grabs her jacket and follows him out the door.

* * *

It turns out the restaurant is full of students on the edge of a burn out, so they have to sit on one of the tables outside the restaurant, and it's so cold outside, it's not even five minutes before he sees her shivering.

"Great idea," she says, taking a bite of her burger.

"Hey, I didn't know the whole campus would be here too!" he defends himself.

She smiles, picking up a fry from the plate in between them.

After they're done, she really is freezing, so it's with little difficulty that he leads her to O'Donnell's for a beer.

As it turns out, almost all his baseball team is here, as well as some of their classmates.

He orders beers for the two of them, and then Alicia finds Sarah, her roommate, and she tells Will she's going to sit at Sarah's table for a while.

So he turns around and finds some of his teammates.

It appears there is some sort of drinking contest going on, so he joins in happily.

* * *

After his third beer, they move on to shots, and there isn't much of a game anymore: the shots keep on coming, and Will keeps on drinking.

Suddenly, he realizes he hasn't seen Alicia in over half an hour. He stands up, looks around, and finds her backed up in a corner by the bathroom, talking to someone. She seems to be doing okay but still, he doesn't like how close whoever that is is standing next to her, so he makes his way in her direction.

As he moves to step next to her, he recognizes the guy talking to her from their Criminal Law class. Bradley? Stanley?

"Hey," he asks, leaning closer to her, a little more than necessary. "Are you okay?"

Alicia seems glad for the interruption and nods, quiet.

"Hey man," Bradley — or Stanley — interrupts. "We're kind of in the middle of something here."

"Yeah, okay," he nods, feigning interest. "I just need to talk to Alicia for a minute."

"Well—"

"Chadley," Alicia interrupts. "I'll come find you later, okay?" she smiles, eyes a little hazy.

"Right," Chadley — _Chadley, for the love of God_ — says, walking away.

She turns her attention back to Will, who is standing just in front of her, hand on the wall above her shoulder. "Thanks," she starts, taking a sip of her drink. "I think I'm too drunk to be able to get rid of him delicately."

He laughs, and his eyes find hers, in the midst of everything. The bar is a little crowded and everyone is moving around them, and so he steps closer to her and his hand falls on the small of her back, pushing their bodies closer together.

He becomes very aware then of the high waisted jeans she's wearing, hugging her hips tightly, and the black tank top with the black straps that are too skinny to fully cover the red straps of her bra. He lets his eyes linger on her shoulder, then her neck, and when his gaze falls on her face, he watches her slowly lick her upper lip.

His pants suddenly feel too tight, way too tight, and he tries to figure out if she did this deliberately, but then she takes another sip of her drink and there it is again, the tip of her tongue running swiftly over her upper lip.

"What are you drinking?" he asks, voice low and deep, and _that_ , he's doing on purpose.

"Just rum and coke," she says. "You want some? I don't even know how many I've had anymore."

She raises her glass in his direction, offering him a drink. He doesn't react, just looks into her eyes, and wonders if maybe, just maybe, she's playing a game with him.

"Will?" she asks, eyebrows pursed in a small frown. "Are you okay?"

He nods, but doesn't say anything, instead offers a smile and she smiles back, eyes hazy and cheeks rosy from the alcohol and the warmth inside the bar.

Her smile is soft, and gentle, but her eyes are playful and inviting and suddenly he loses track of where the line is, the line that guards them in the security of friendship and makes it okay for him to sleep in the same bed as her even though he has a girlfriend.

But it's Alicia who is there, right there in between his body and the wall, with a glass of rum and coke in her hand, and he knows, even if he doesn't _really_ know, he knows her skin is soft and her lips taste like a mix of sweetness and fire.

He looks serious now, more serious than she's ever seen him, and then he leans in softly and her eyes close instinctively, and her heart tightens as she feels his lips brush against the corner of her mouth. It's barely there, so tentative and shy, it fills her heart with affection.

She realizes he's gone when the loss of his proximity sends a shiver down her spine, but his hand is still resting on the small of her back, so she knows he feels it.

"I…" he starts, eyes looking down, shaking his head in confusion and removing his hand from her body.

"Will—"

"I'm sorry," he interrupts, "I… you were—"

"Will," she says again, putting her glass down and placing her hand on his arm. "Do you want to go home?"

His eyes go wide then, because she can't possibly mean—

"It's late, I mean, we should…" she babbles, biting her lip.

"Yeah, yeah," he says, taking a step back. "Maybe we should go home, if you want."

"Yes. I mean," she frowns, "you can stay, you don't have to—"

"No, you're right, it's late…"

His eyes are everywhere but on hers, and she doesn't want him to be uncomfortable, because he's been drinking, they've both been drinking, and it doesn't mean anything, it's the promiscuity, the closeness, and it's the rum, and the beer, the cold, the stress, it's…

It doesn't mean anything that he kissed her, or that he didn't kiss her, not _really_ , because to be honest she's not exactly sure that this qualified as a kiss. It was more of a brush of his lips against the corner of her mouth, against her cheek, kind of like she always imagined the French greet one another.

It didn't really mean anything.

Did it?

Will hands her her coat and she follows him out of the bar. They walk quickly back to her place, fighting the cold, in silence. She doesn't know what to expect, so when they reach her apartment, she opens the door and steps inside quickly, turning around and looking at him, letting him decide if he wants to follow. He takes a step towards her but stays outside.

"Will…"

"No, Alicia," he stops her, shaking his head. "Listen, I'm sorry, I—"

"Will, no, it's alright, I don't… it was— just, it's alright. We're alright."

She smiles, doesn't move when he steps closer to her, or when he brushes a loose piece of hair behind her ear, and presses a kiss to her cheek.

"Are you okay?" he asks, referring to the whole alcohol-drinking situation.

"Yeah, yeah," she clears her throat. "I'll sleep it off."

He's halfway inside her apartment now, and she's still standing close to him, and fuck him for being an idiot and not breaking up with Helena before, because he knows full well he should have done that weeks, if not months ago.

Because he doesn't want to be an asshole, but when he steps out of the apartment and he sees the look of disappointment on Alicia's face, all he wants is to step back in and wrap his arms around her and kiss her, until neither of them can breathe anymore. All he wants is to peel that tank top and those jeans off of her skin and kiss her everywhere, until there's no patch of her skin left untouched by his lips. He imagines running his hands over her thighs and pressing his body against hers, imagines capturing her lips in between his to muffle her moans.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" he asks, wrapping his arms around himself in an attempt to fight the cold.

"Yes. At the library," she adds the unneeded clarification to hide her disappointment.

"Good. Sleep well, Leesh."

"You too," she says, closing the door as he turns around.

* * *

 **Author's note** : Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed! Thanks to my friend Grazi for helping me with a few details and proofreading everything I ever write. Please let me know what you thought in a review! I'd be happy to read any suggestions you have. The next chapter will be up next Monday: I promise, it's already written ;). Thanks again for reading! - hannahorgrace


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note :** I'd like to thank all of you for the lovely reviews I've been getting on this story. I changed the names of the chapters, so the one that used to be the Prologue is now just Chapter 1, and so on. It's less confusing this way. By the way, there was a glitch last week with story updates, so you might not have seen when I updated this fic. In that case, you might not have read the previous chapter, maybe you're going to need to go back before reading this one :) Also, I've had requests to see what happened at the end of the second chapter, when Will wakes up and holds Alicia's hand as she sleeps. I aim to please, so I hope you'll be satisfied! Without further ado, here's the next chapter! I hope you enjoy :) - hannahorgrace

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

 _This situation is, without a doubt, the hottest thing Will has ever experienced in his entire life._

 _It's so hot he doesn't even know how it's possible._

 _Gently, he wraps his hand around her own, tightening her grip around him, and she looks up, curious. His eyes are dark with desire, sending a shiver down his spine, and then she squeezes him softly and lets her thumb brush over the tip._

" _Fuck, Alicia—"_

 _She smiles, a hint of pride in her eyes, and she does it again._

 _He leans back down, letting her touch him, and she moves in between his legs to get better access. Suddenly, she leans down, and then the tip of him is enveloped in the warmth of her mouth and he has to take a deep breath in other to keep his hips on the mattress._

 _Her lips slide softly along his skin, her tongue stroking gently, and all he wants in that moment is to have his mouth against hers and to make her come._

 _It's like his life depends on it._

* * *

Will wakes with a start, forehead shining with beads of sweat and, in his pants, evidence of the kind of dream he's been having.

He tries to slow down his breath, tries to get the image of Alicia sitting in between his legs out of his mind.

"Presidents," he whispers to himself, resolutely. "Okay. George Washington. Franklin Roosevelt. Abraham Lincoln," he says, shaking his head from side to side to shake the dream away. "Eisenhower, what's his name? Nevermind. John Kennedy, who else, Richard Nixon, and— Dwight, that's his name, Dwight Eisenhower, and then—"

And then Alicia's tongue is tracing soft patterns on his chest, and that's the end of his list.

Will jumps out of bed and makes his way to the kitchen. He pours himself a glass of water, then another one, and rests his hands on the countertop, leaning over.

He feels kind of guilty that he's having these dreams. Well, it's not the first time he's had dreams like that… But with Alicia it's different, and this one felt so real. He can still feel her skin under his fingertips, or the way her body felt pressed up against his, and the way his name sounded when she whispered it…

He exhales deeply, leaves the glass in the sink and makes his way back to his room.

Getting back under the covers, he remembers Alicia sleeping in his bed the previous week, her hair still a little damp from the shower she had taken. He remembers waking up next to her, her arm casually resting over his chest, her fingers squeezing his in her sleep as he had reached out to hold her hand.

* * *

" _Hey," she whispers, eyes still shut._

" _Hey," he smiles._

 _Her thumb moves over his index finger, gently stroking, as she resists the urge to fall back asleep._

" _Did you sleep well?" he asks, trying to fill the silence._

" _Hmmm," she answers, burying her head in the pillow. "Thanks for letting me stay here," she says softly._

" _No problem," he smiles. "That'll be $18."_

 _She chuckles, untangling her fingers from his and waving her arm in his direction in an attempt to hit his arm._

" _What? You get the student discount!"_

" _Ha-ha," she laughs, ironically. "Very funny, Will."_

 _He smiles, and leans in closer to her._

" _Leesh?" he asks._

" _Hmmm?"_

 _He bites the inside of his cheek, unsure of how to ask the question._

" _You wanna talk about last night? I mean, why you were upset?"_

 _She frowns into the pillow. "Nope."_

 _He nods. "Alright. I'm gonna go make coffee then," he says, throwing his legs off the mattress._

" _Will?" she calls, head poking out from under the pillow._

" _Yeah?" he says, fighting a yawn._

" _Thanks," she whispers softly, holding her hand out to him._

" _For what?"_

 _She frowns. "Last night. Dinner, and stuff."_

" _Oh," he says, grabbing her hand and squeezing gently. "Sure."_

* * *

Their last final is on a Friday at 9 am, so, predictably, the whole class ends up spending the entire afternoon on the baseball field, enjoying the sun, enjoying the freedom.

"I think I like Criminal Law better," Alicia says, her arm over her head to cover her eyes from the sun. "It's more human."

Will chuckles. "Human? It involves people stealing, and hurting, and killing other people."

"I know," she interrupts, "but I mean, in the lawyer/client relationship, you know? It's not like Contracts, or Business Law. And even if it involves killing sometimes, it's still human. It's still… people."

"Dead people," Will adds.

She shakes her head side to side, a soft smile appearing on her lips.

"You're just saying that because you failed Criminal Procedure."

"I didn't fail!" he interjects, "I'm pretty sure that guy's arrest was valid."

"It wasn't," Alicia corrects.

"Right," he sighs. "If you say so."

They spend most of the afternoon laying on the grass, talking about the finals and blaming themselves when they realize it's the only thing they can talk about, so they decide to lay in silence instead. The field is pretty big, and even though almost the whole class is there, it's quiet enough that he thinks she's fallen asleep.

"Alicia?"

She rolls over to lie on her side, searching for his eyes. "Yeah?"

He shakes his head. "Nothing. I thought you fell asleep."

"Not yet," she sighs. "Although I think I'm going to go home, shower, eat whatever leftover I can find, and go to bed. And sleep for the whole weekend," she smiles, already enjoying the precious moments.

"What? But we're all going out for drinks tonight!"

"You are. I," she says, gathering her things, "have a date with my couch."

"That sounds dirty," he jokes. "You wanna order pizza and watch a movie?"

She frowns, a hint of a smile curving her lips. "I thought you were going out."

"I am. But a man has to eat."

"Of course," she nods. "Pizza it is."

* * *

Everything is dark when Alicia wakes up. All the lights are off, and the movie appears to have ended long enough ago that the TV set itself to the power-saving mode.

She's sitting on the floor, back against the edge of the couch, knees resting against the coffee table that holds two empty pizza boxes. Will is sitting next to her, head bent over his knees, in a position that seems to be everything but comfortable.

She pulls a couple of pillows from the couch and sets them behind Will's neck, and automatically, he leans back to rest against them.

Slowly, so as not to wake him, she gets up, gathers up the empty boxes and walks to the kitchen. Making her way back to the living room, she sits next to Will, legs under the coffee table, and turns the television back on, making sure to lower the volume.

She settles on the first thing she finds, a German documentary about a televangelist who threatened to shut down his own TV show on the grounds that he wasn't receiving enough money to keep the show going.

She feels Will move next to her, and she's afraid the TV is too loud, but he doesn't wake up. Instead, he just stirs, and moves a little closer to her.

She allows herself to look at him, really stare at him, knowing full well it's entirely too creepy, but he doesn't seem like he's going to wake up anytime soon.

His hair is longer than when she first met him, a little messier, and she has the inexplicable urge to run her fingers through it. She holds back, feeling stupid.

Shivering a little, she pulls the throw that is laying on the armrest of the couch and covers them both with it. Still, he doesn't move, so she decides to give in to temptation, and lets her fingers run through his hair, ever so softly. She hears him sigh quietly, but he doesn't move, so she repeats the gesture.

And she feels it, the way she's enjoying the proximity much more than she would with anyone else. She feels it in her stomach, a warming feeling that she only gets when he's around, and in her chest, like it's difficult to breathe because the way she feels is too much, there's just too much to feel when he's around her, when he's sitting close to her like this, close enough that she can feel the heat radiating from his body.

"Do that again," he whispers.

She freezes. "I thought you were sleeping," she says, but it doesn't make it less awkward. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's alright," he mumbles, voice all sleepy still. "It feels nice."

She smiles, and lets her fingers brush through his hair again, her fingertips moving from behind his ear to the back of his head.

"What are you watching?" he asks, pointing to the television.

She smiles. "I honestly couldn't tell you."

He chuckles. She repeats the gesture, letting her fingers brush through his hair in a soft, gentle motion.

He breathes in deeply, then sighs, and she doesn't move her hand, just lets it rest there, on his neck.

She uses her other hand instead, using it to brush through his hair as if she's trying to tame it, eyes trained on his forehead, because she knows he's looking at her and she's scared as hell at the idea of meeting his eyes.

She takes her hands back then, and her eyes look down to meet his.

She doesn't know if it's the proximity, or the darkness, or the fact that she's never been so exhausted before, but her chest suddenly feels too tight to hold her heart in. She feels goosebumps on her arms and a tingling sensation in her fingers, and it takes all her strength to stay still.

She feels his eyes on her more than she sees them, and then his lips are on her forehead, and she feels the ghost of a kiss there, and then on her cheek, and on her shoulder.

"Will…" she whispers, and her hand is at his neck, holding his face close to hers.

"I have to go," he says, getting up suddenly. "I told the guys I would join them, and it's late already, I should… I should go join them."

She stays on the floor, a frown on her face, her head shaking side to side.

"I'm sorry, Alicia," he says, licking his lips. "I'm sorry, I have— I can't…" he sighs, struggling to find the words.

"It's alright," she lies.

"No, look," he says, sitting back in front of her so he can look into her eyes. "I just—"

"Will, it's okay," she says, trying to sound reassuring, but even she doesn't buy it.

"No, it's not… but I'm gonna make it okay… alright? I'm gonna make it right. I promise."

"Will—"

He interrupts with a kiss on top of her head, lingering, and one minute she's hurt and scared, and the next, she's wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

He pulls away softly, with a smile on his face.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" he asks, and it sounds more like a promise than a question, so she nods.

"Go to sleep," he adds, pointing to her bedroom.

She nods again, and then he's out the door.

* * *

 **Author's note** **:** Okay, yes, I admit it: this whole sexual tension situation is just too much fun to play with. But please don't be mad at Will, he **is** trying to do the right thing. Let me know what you thought of this chapter! I'm especially curious if you have opinions on Will's dream, in the beginning of the chapter. Next chapter will be up next Monday. Thanks for reading! - hannahorgrace

 **Also** **:** That documentary I mentioned is real. It's a 1981 Western German movie originally called « Glaube und Währung - Dr. Gene Scott, Fernsehprediger ». I got the summary from IMDb. I think it's a real story. I found it by googling "very weird tv documentaries" (I really did).


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note :** Hi everyone! Sorry I'm late in posting this. I decided last week to write an unplanned, extra chapter (as I often do), and I have very important exams every day of this week so it's been kind of hectic lately. Thank you to everyone who reviewed my last chapter! I hope you enjoy this one :) Let me know what you think! - hannahorgrace

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

Alicia wakes up the next morning feeling rested like she hasn't felt in a while.

It's the first time in weeks that she doesn't wake up to the blasting noise of an alarm clock, and it feels good.

It feels _really_ good.

She turns around on her side and considers trying to fall back asleep. Sometimes she can do that, when she wakes up but doesn't open her eyes immediately. As a kid, she used to tell herself that waking up didn't count as long as she didn't open her eyes, that if she kept them closed, she could fall back asleep.

So she keeps her eyes closed, brings her arm to rest under her forehead, and breathes out, softly.

Suddenly, she hears a soft knock on her door.

She frowns.

The door opens softly, just enough for a curious head to poke through the opening.

"Hey," her roommate whispers. "Are you awake?"

Alicia smiles. "I guess I am," she says, sitting up, back against the pillows.

"Good," Sarah says, making her way to Alicia's bed. "I made you coffee."

She puts the cup on Alicia's bedside table and climbs on the bed, sliding under the covers next to Alicia.

"So," Sarah starts, a mischievous smile on her face. "What's up?"

"Not much, Sarah," Alicia answers, stretching her arms above her head. "I did just wake up though."

Sarah smiles. "Not much, huh," she repeats, eyes searching around Alicia's bedroom. "Not even in the Department of Will Gardner Affairs?"

Alicia bursts out laughing. "The _Department of Will Gardner Affairs_?" she repeats.

"Yes," Sarah answers. "I just came up with it."

Alicia smiles. "Well, not much is going on there either."

"Oh really?" Sarah questions, playfully. "So you guys didn't kiss or anything like that the other day at O'Donnell's?"

Alicia sits up suddenly, a frown on her face. "You saw that?" she asks, voice low, eyes serious.

"No," Sarah answers, confused. "I just said that to see how you'd react— Alicia, did you…"

Alicia shakes her head. "No."

Sarah frowns.

"We didn't kiss, or anything like that. I mean… I don't know," she sighs.

"You don't know?" Sarah asks, knitting her brows. "How does that even work?"

"Well," Alicia starts. "I guess he sort of kissed me, but…" she points to the corner of her mouth. "On the cheek?"

She looks to her friend expectantly, as if she's waiting for Sarah to offer some sort of explanation as to what happened between her and Will the other night.

"Alicia," Sarah starts, voice low, "that's not where your cheek is."

Alicia drops her hand to her lap and sighs. "It wasn't anything. We were drunk, anyway, we just had… a moment."

Sarah chuckles. "A moment?"

"Yeah," Alicia nods, eyes trained ahead, avoiding Sarah's stare. "And again last night, we were just sitting in the living room watching TV and then we just… had a moment," she sighs. "Again."

"Did you kiss?" Sarah asks.

"No, no, we didn't," she says, shaking her head.

"Then how do you know you had a moment?"

Alicia's eyes fall on Sarah's. "I don't know. It was…"

She remembers running her fingers through Will's hair softly, and feeling his eyes on hers even though she wasn't looking. She remembers how it made her feel warm and how she made a conscious decision not to look into his eyes, to keep her eyes trained on his forehead and her focus on her movements, on being gentle when running her fingers through his hair.

She remembers thinking that if she kissed him then, maybe he might have let her, maybe he might have pulled her against him and wrapped his arms around her and it might have felt good.

Her heart tightens in her chest.

"Alicia?" Sarah calls, tilting her head to the side.

"Yeah," she answers, in a daze.

"What happened?"

Alicia sighs. "Nothing. Nothing happened. We were sitting next to each other, and he was…"

She feels ashamed suddenly, about the intimacy of it all, about how personal it felt to be so close to him, to run her fingers through his hair, to touch him this way, as if it was something that people actually did, caressing their friends like that.

She sighs. "He was sleeping, and I don't know what came over me, I… ran my fingers through his hair."

Sarah smiles, obviously trying to repress her laughter. "You what?"

"I don't know, okay?" Alicia sighs. "But then he woke up, and he said it felt nice, so I kept doing it. And then we were looking in each other's eyes and Sarah, I don't know, but I just… I couldn't have moved if I'd wanted to. And suddenly, I mean really, out of nowhere, he got up. He kissed my forehead, my cheek and my shoulder, and he got up and left."

"Oh my God," Sarah exclaims. "That's so hot."

Alicia frowns. "What?!"

"Gazing into each other's eyes, and the shoulder-kissing thing. All of it."

Alicia shakes her head side to side. "I have no idea what any of it means."

"It means he wants you, okay? It means—"

"No, Sarah, he has a girlfriend," Alicia says, almost irritated.

"Okay, old news. Isn't his girlfriend back in Baltimore?"

Alicia nods. "She is, but Sarah, I'd never—"

"I know, I know," Sarah interrupts. "But then what happened? He just left? He didn't say anything?"

Alicia moves the covers around, curling her legs under her. "He said he had to go, and that he was going to make it right. Do you think that means he's going to—"

"Oh my God, he's going to break up with his girlfriend. That's so cute," Sarah smiles. "I mean, not for her," she adds quickly. "But for you guys. He's going to break up with her so you two can have all the long-awaited, guilt-free, mind-blowing sex you truly deserve."

"What? Sarah, we're—"

"I'm actually excited for you," Sarah says, eyes wide, a huge smile on her face.

"But I don't even know if I want to…"

Sarah frowns. "Alicia, trust me. You want to. The weird hair touching thing? The eye-sex thing? That's international code for _I want you inside me_."

Alicia bursts out laughing.

"I mean really, from what you're telling me, it's probably what he understood. And he wants you too, don't worry," she winks.

Alicia sighs. "I don't want to mess it up, you know? We're friends," she murmurs.

"Are you really?" Sarah questions.

Alicia looks down. "I don't know."

"Well," Sarah begins, "you might want to figure it out soon," she sighs. "Come on. Drink your coffee. We need to go grocery shopping and I don't want to go on my own."

Alicia nods, but doesn't move. "I'll be out in 5 minutes."

Once Sarah has gone, Alicia lets herself lean back into the pillows.

She doesn't know what she and Will are, she realizes.

Well, they're friends. That much is sure. And she loves having Will as a friend, because he's good for her, they're good for each other. They complement each other well. They help each other stay grounded, and focused.

And he makes her feel good. She feels free, and appreciated, when she's around him, and he takes care of her, and—

"Aliciaaa!" she hears Sarah call from the living room.

She jumps off the bed and grabs a pair of jeans.

"I'm coming!"

* * *

It's the end of the day when Alicia decides to go to his apartment, for once. Usually, they always end up at her place, maybe because it's closer to the building where they have most of their classes.

It's a little past 5 pm when she knocks on his door, but no one opens. She tries again, and a third time, but still, there is no answer.

She walks to the field, where a few students are gathered, practicing soccer or baseball, but Will is no where to be seen, so she makes her way back to her place.

She thinks of checking the library to see if he's there, but she doesn't have her books with her, and he probably would have to told her if he was going there anyway.

"He may be out with friends," Sarah says when she gets back home. "Did you guys have plans to meet today?"

"No," Alicia answers, feigning disinterest. "I don't think so."

However, when he's not in class on Monday, she starts to worry a little. He's been late before, especially on Mondays, in the morning, but he's never missed a whole day. His roommate tells her he doesn't know where Will is.

So when he knocks on her door with Thaï takeout and ice cream, she opens with a frown.

"You missed Civil Procedure," she says.

"I know. How was it?" he asks, setting the food on the kitchen table.

"It was… procedural," Alicia answers. "And a little boring."

He doesn't tell her where he was or why he missed classes, so she doesn't ask. Instead, they talk about the classes they want to take for the next semester, and end up eating the ice cream he brought, while watching television.

She expects it to be somewhat awkward, but it's not. It's easy and comfortable, as it always is when she's sitting next to him. He has his feet propped up on the coffee table and she has her legs crossed under her.

"Cookie Dough," she reads the packaging. "I used to think Chocolate Fudge Brownie was my favorite," she comments. "But this…"

"I know," he agrees, licking his spoon. "This is the real deal."

He fake-fights her for the little pieces of dough hidden in the ice cream, until none of them can eat anymore. So he takes the cup back to the kitchen and when he comes back, he sits next to her and lets his arm rest on the couch behind her head.

It's not awkward like she thought it would be, even if her conversation with Sarah has left her more confused than she was the day before. But she's a little upset he hasn't said anything about missing out the whole day of classes. And not showing up the day before.

"What did you do today?" she asks, feigning nonchalance.

"Not much," he says, avoiding her gaze. "Just some stuff I had to take care of."

She turns to look at him. "What stuff?"

"Are you interrogating me?" he asks, playfully.

"No," she answers. "I was just wondering where you were."

"It's nothing important," he answers.

"Right," she says, eyes curious. "So why won't you tell me?"

He chuckles. "I'll tell you if you tell me why you were crying when I found you sitting outside my door that night before finals."

She gasps. "That's— I wasn't crying."

"Right," he smiles. "Can I come by tomorrow night to go over what I missed today?" he asks.

"Yeah," she nods, repressing a yawn.

"Alright," he says, getting up from the couch. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

He leans over and presses a soft kiss to her cheek, and his lips are so warm, it's like she feels his warmth all the way to the inside of her bones. Her stomach does that flip-flop thing but she tries to ignore it and offers a smile in return.

"Good night," she says.

Lying in bed, she closes her eyes and waits for sleep to find her.

* * *

 **Author's note :** Hey again, I hope you enjoyed this! I apologize again fo the delay. Please let me know what you thought :) Next chapter will be up next Monday! (promise) - hannahorgrace


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's note** **:** Hello everyone! Thank you so much for your reviews on my last chapter. Here I am (on time!) with a new one. This chapter is actually the first one I wrote. I was going to post this as a oneshot only, but then I thought, why not make a whole story out of it. This was inspired by the song "Attente" by Beauvois, which you can find on Soundcloud – it's an instrumental piece so you can listen to it while reading if you want to. I hope you enjoy this! In advance, thank you for reading. – hannahorgrace

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

It was not uncommon for Will and Alicia to end up falling asleep on her couch whenever he came over to her place to study. Usually, she would wake up in the middle of the night, and he'd be alert enough to manage to make it back to his place; otherwise, she would let him sleep on the couch. It wasn't the most comfortable couch, but it was big enough that he could sleep on it without his sore muscles making him pay for it the next morning.

That night, Alicia wakes up to the sound of the key turning in the lock of the main door.

"Fell asleep while studying, huh?" Sarah asks as she comes in, followed by her boyfriend David.

Alicia nods, a little disoriented from having just woken up. She looks to Will who is lying in an awkward position on the other side of the couch.

"I'm gonna make tea," Sarah whispers. "You want some?"

Alicia shakes her head and stretches her arms above her head, blinking the daze away.

"Will," she whispers, hand on his arm. "Wake up."

He inhales deeply and yawns, covering his mouth with his hand. "Hey," he whispers through a smile. "What time is it?"

Alicia glances to her watch before answering. "A little after one," she answers. "You can stay here if you want."

"Thanks," he says, yawning again.

She smiles. "I'll get you blankets and a pillow."

"It's alright," he stops her with a hand on her arm. "I'll get that," he says, getting up and heading to her bedroom.

Alicia makes her way to the kitchen. "Good night guys, we're going to sleep."

"Hey," Sarah speaks before Alicia leaves. "Is Will staying over?"

Alicia nods. "Yeah, why?"

"David and I kinda wanted to watch a movie in the living room," Sarah says.

"Oh," Alicia frowns. "That's alright, I guess he can stay in my room."

* * *

Coming into her room, Alicia finds Will sitting on the edge of her bed, covers, blankets and pillow in hand.

"Sarah and David are watching a movie in the living room", she says, sitting next to him on the bed.

"Oh," he starts, rubbing his eyes. "Okay."

"You can stay here if you want," she says, looking into his eyes.

"You don't mind?" he whispers.

She shakes her head. "Just don't snore."

* * *

Alicia wakes up in the middle of the night with the feeling that she's overslept, even if the room is in complete darkness. A quick glance to the clock on her bedside table indicates it's only 3.27 am. Her breath hitches when she senses movement next to her, but she relaxes when she remembers Will is here too.

She turns to lay on her side, her back to him, and closes her eyes, trying to find sleep again. Will moves softly behind her, ruffling the covers around them. He lets out a small snore and she grins in the dark. Without warning, she feels his hand land softly on her side and freezes.

She listens to his soft, regular breathing and supposes he must be sleeping. Still, she doesn't dare move. His hand feels heavy on her side and she doesn't want to wake him up, but she's suddenly very aware of his body, lying just a few inches behind hers. Maybe he's dreaming, she thinks, so she doesn't do anything and tries to fall back asleep. Still, she feels some sort of excitement creep up her stomach.

Suddenly, his fingers start stroking her through her clothes ever so softly, barely noticeable, and she doesn't know if he's still sleeping or dreaming but she's very aware of her ragged breathing, her chest heaving and her lips trembling.

She lies frozen, unable to move, acutely aware of the soft pressure of his fingers on her. She wants to turn around and say something but her body feels heavy and stiff and she doesn't think she can move at all. Her brain is going a mile a minute, but she's unable to form a coherent thought. She knows he's not sleeping because his gesture can't be unconscious, not for that long. She wonders if he knows she's awake, but when his hand moves a little closer to her stomach and her breath hitches again, she gathers he knows she's not sleeping either.

They lie in silent like this, neither daring to break the silence or disturb the moment. She closes her eyes, trying to slow her breathing down, but the only thing she can think of, the only thing she can feel, is his hand, touching her, stroking her. She knows he can hear that her breathing has changed but she doesn't know what to do to calm herself. She's afraid of what he's doing but mostly, she's afraid he's going to stop.

Softly, as he continues to stroke her stomach, she feels his thumb move just under her breast and she suddenly feels heat pool in between her thighs. She squeezes her legs closer together, as if to stop herself from reacting to his touch, but then he does it again and she almost loses her senses. She feels a shiver run down her back and she knows there's no way he missed it. Slowly, as if she's afraid of losing the moment, she turns her head around, careful not to move too much in fear of losing contact with his touch. When her eyes find his, she takes a breath and brushes her lips against his, almost instinctively. It feels as if he was waiting for her to move, waiting for permission, because as soon as her mouth touches his, his hand finds its way behind her neck, pulling her in, kissing her deeply.

It feels so good, and a wave of relief washes over her, as if she suddenly realizes she had been longing for his touch for so long and had never dared admit it to herself. His lips are soft against hers, hands holding her close to him, and she feels the warmth of his body radiate all around her. He moves closer, his body inching closer to hers, and she feels self-conscious because last time she's been with a guy was over a year ago. She feels that anxiety that she gets when she hasn't been intimate with someone in a long time, and she wonders if he can feel her stress.

"Will, stop," she says, pushing him away suddenly, sitting up.

"What is it?" he asks, already blaming himself for taking it too far, too fast.

"Helena," she whispers, out of breath. "You're—"

"Alicia, no," he interrupts, sitting up to face her, hands on both sides of her waist through her tank top.

She frowns at him, curious.

"We're not… together, anymore," he explains, eyes looking down.

"Oh," she breathes. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he starts. "I ended it."

"You did?" she frowns. "Why?"

"Okay," he chuckles. "Now? Really?"

She smiles, barely visible in the darkness, and then his hand is on her hip and his lips are against hers again. She wants to protest, wants to push him away because she doesn't know what's going on, she hasn't had time to rationalize the situation, but then he pulls her closer to him, dragging her body against his and when she breathes all she can smell, all she can feel, is him.

They've never been so close before, and yet his lips feel so familiar and his kiss so natural, as if she's already accustomed to it, as if it's not the first time they've been so intimate. Slowly, he leans back down, pulling her on top of him. She's straddling him now, legs on each side of him, lips moving faster against his. He has a hand on the small of her back and the other on her neck, keeping her close.

He pushes his tongue softly past her lips and when he meets hers, she lets out an uncontrolled sigh. In reaction, his hands start roaming over her body gently through her tank top, touching her everywhere, the fabric the only barrier between his hands and her skin. She feels the heat pool in between her thighs again and accidentally, his name slips past her lips in a whisper. He shuts his eyes, as if trying to restrain himself from saying something, and she wonders how he feels about her, if this is just a chemical reaction from sleeping in the same bed as her, or if there is something more. She's not sure she wants to know.

"This is stupid," she whispers as she pulls away.

She presses her forehead against his shoulder, tucking her face in the crook of his neck, afraid to see his reaction. Slowly, he pulls her head out of its hiding place and presses gentle kisses against her cheeks and lips, as softly as he can.

"Do you want to stop?" he asks in between kisses.

She _knows_ they're being stupid, and she _knows_ they should stop, but the last thing she wants is for him to stop touching her, to stop kissing her. She wants to touch him. She wants to _feel_ him. Touching her nose to his, she slowly shakes her head side to side.

"No."

He kisses her again then, with an assurance that wasn't there before.

"Can I take that off?" he breathes, his hands finding the hem of her tank top.

She nods against his lips so he removes her top in one swift motion.

Half naked in front of him, she suddenly feels very self-conscious. She's blushing, and she knows he can't see her in the darkness, but he notices something because he sits up to lean against her body and murmurs in her ear,

"You're beautiful."

She swallows, trying to regain some sort of control, and in turn, starts removing his t-shirt.

She leans over him again, knees on each side of his hips, supporting herself with her hands on each side of his head. She feels his erection against her body and she feels herself react to the feeling. She lets her hands roam over his chest, exploring softly.

His lips catch hers and he wraps his arms around her, pulling her in closer to him. He kisses her deeply, passionately, his need overpowering.

He flips her over then and with her help, removes both his sweatpants and her shorts. He presses his lips to hers, then to her clavicles, then under her ear.

"God, Alicia," he says, looking into her eyes. "You don't know what you do to me."

He wants to say more, because it's not only about her looks anymore. It stopped being about her looks a long time ago. It's the way her smile makes his stomach ache, the way her laugh makes his heart stop, the way her voice makes it hard for him to concentrate. It's the way shivers run down his spine when she says his name and the way his breath hitches when she looks into his eyes.

Her heart goes wild when she hears his words and she lets it take control of her actions. Aligning her body under his, she brings his face close to hers and kisses him again, slowly rocking her hips against his.

He moves painfully slowly inside her, taking the time to record each one of her reactions to his touch. He doesn't know how many times he's going to be able to do this, so he tries to make it last as long as possible. She's cautious at first, almost nervous and a little shy, but he showers her with kisses and whispers of admiration until he feels her relax under his touch.

She knows they're not quiet, but she couldn't care less. She's never felt so good in her entire life. She's never felt so wanted, so cared for, as she does in this moment. Will gently moves her leg to wrap it around his hip and she moans against his mouth. Smiling, he finds her hand and laces their fingers together.

"You don't know how many times I've imagined this," he mumbles in her shoulder, rocking his hips forward.

"Yeah?" she breathes, running her fingers through the short hair on the back of his neck.

"Uh-uh", he nods. "It's like I've practiced… making love to you," he says in between breaths. "In my head."

She smiles at him, rolling her hips up to meet his. "I'm glad I finally get to see the live show."

He smiles, lets his teeth graze softly against the skin of her neck and gently bites her shoulder, teasing her.

"Not as much as I am," he mumbles against her skin.

He pushes into her harder then, making her gasp.

"You okay?" he breathes.

She nods. "Don't stop."

He doesn't stop until he hears her cry out, arms wrapped around him, and her voice is the only thing he hears before he sinks into ecstasy with her.

* * *

When his fingers wander on the skin of her stomach later in the night, she finds his hand and laces her fingers with his without hesitation. He presses a kiss against the soft skin on the back of her neck and sighs.

"Better than my imaginary practice sessions," he murmurs, kissing her shoulder.

She laughs, a warm, soft, laugh like a ray of sunshine in the middle of the night, caressing his heart, and he marvels at how it makes him feel.

"You think they heard us?" she asks.

"Pretty sure they heard you."

She laughs again, this time more of a giggle, and if he ever had to hear only one sound for the rest of his life, he decides that would be it.

He presses another kiss against her shoulder and soon, he hears her breathing slow down.

She squeezes his hand, and glances at the clock. 4.31 am.

Maybe tomorrow they can sleep in.

* * *

 **Author's note** **:** Thanks so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. Please feel free to leave me a review with your opinion! Next chapter will be up next Monday. Thanks again for reading! – hannahorgrace


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's note** : Hi everyone, this chapter is a little late but here it is! Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, it seems like that specific scene was long overdue, wasn't it? ;) So I hope you enjoy this chapter as well! - hannahorgrace

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

She wakes up the next morning entirely naked, the rays of sunshine making their way through the window and gently warming her skin. She turns over to find Will, lying on his stomach, arms around the pillow under his head.

Alicia likes Will. She likes him a lot more than she thought she would, about four months ago, when she first met him. She likes him because she doesn't have to think about how to be around him, she doesn't have to think about how to act, and she likes how she feels when he's around.

She thinks about the previous night, about how it felt to have him touch her, to feel his fingers brush over her skin. She closes her eyes and she can _feel_ his lips against her neck, his hands on her hips, his body all warm and strong against her own.

She feels the weight change on the bed, so she opens her eyes and muffles a scream when she finds Will very awake, arms braced on both sides of her head.

"You scared me!" she scowls, sinking into the mattress as his weight shifts around her.

"What were you thinking of?" he whispers, the edges of his lips turning into a smile.

"Nothing, just— Will, wait," but he interrupts her with a kiss that has her fighting for air in a matter of seconds.

"Good morning," he breathes into her neck.

She smiles, all forms of anger dissolving right away. How does he do this? How does he make her feel so warm and soft on the inside?

She moves under him so their bodies line up and he shivers at the proximity it creates.

"Hey," she whispers.

He leans in to capture her lips in between his again. She lets her hands slide up his chest and over his shoulders, pulling him closer to her. His skin is warm under her fingers, and she can't help but let her hands run over his back, up to his neck, sliding her fingers into his hair.

He kisses her deeply, breathing in at the same time, capturing her lips and then nibbling softly.

"I think I want you again," he whispers in her ear, and she feels the words so intensely, it's as if they make their way inside her body all the way to the center of her bones.

He sees the effect his words have on her and smiles, dragging his teeth softly below her ear and on her neck, down to her collarbone, where he presses his lips again.

She stays silent, letting him do the work, taking all the affection he gives her, and all she wants is for him to tell her, to show her, how much he wants her.

He drags his lips over her stomach softly, leaving warm, wet kisses here and there. She raises her head when she feels him moving away for a second, and then she feels his lips again on the inside of her thigh, hand stroking her other leg gently, slowly rubbing circles against her skin with almost no pressure at all, and it feels so soft and yet so powerful.

"Can I?" he asks. "Have you again?"

She feels him breathe against her thigh, and when his warm breath meets her skin, it sends shivers all through her body. She shuts her eyes to keep the overwhelming sensation under control.

He watches her hand curl against the sheets of her bed, and runs his tongue over her.

"Oh…" she sighs, in a mix of pleasure and surprise.

He smiles. "Again?" he whispers.

She nods, eyes still shut, and he makes sure to never forget the image.

He repeats the gesture and again, he feels her fingers curl tightly around the sheets as her breath quickens.

He finds her hand then, untangles it from the sheets and laces their fingers together. She holds on to him tight, her other hand finding the top of his head, running her fingers through his hair.

He kisses her there, softly, running his lips over her, until he sees her frown, in an effort to keep her hips on the bed. Her leg rises up slowly, bending at the knee, then slides back down and rises back up, until he stops it with a hand on her thigh.

"Hey," he whispers, resting his chin on the top of her thigh. "Do you have somewhere you have to be?"

She breathes out softly, missing his warm touch against her body. "Yes, actually," she starts, and he moves up so that he's hovering above her, hooking her leg around his hip, "I'm a little bored, I was thinking of going to the library—", but then he pushes into her quickly, deeply, making her gasp.

She shuts her eyes and purses her lips, and he feels her fingers grab onto his arm tightly.

He freezes.

"Are you okay?" he asks, worried.

"Mmh," she nods, opening her eyes, breathing out slowly.

"Did I hurt you?" he questions, searching her eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't—"

"No," she interrupts, her hand sliding up to rest on his neck.

"I'm sorry," he says, pressing his lips against her cheek, then her forehead.

"Will, I'm okay," she smiles. "You didn't hurt me."

He scans her eyes, moves slowly inside her, making sure she's all right.

Her eyes close slowly, her mouth opening partly.

"Good?" he asks, cautious.

"Uh-uh," she nods, licking her lips. "Good."

He smiles. He props himself up on his elbows so that his chest rests against hers and kisses her gently, his movements soft and slow.

"Feels good?" he asks, barely a whisper.

She nods but keeps quiet, and he wonders if the proximity, the intimacy somehow bothers her. It's not as dark as it was the night before, the sun making its way through the window and filling her room with a shy morning light. He can see all of her now, but he keeps his eyes trained on hers.

Alicia is a little more cautious, a little more restrained than she was the night before. She feels as if the previous night is stuck in time, as if his kisses and her sighs could be hidden away in her memory, safe and sealed like a secret, out of time and out of space. But she's naked under him again, and he's moving inside her again, and it feels good, it feels so good, but it feels so _real_ , different from the night before.

She thinks of her and Will, and she doesn't know her but she thinks of Helena, and Will and Helena, and she wonders if she's the reason why he broke up with her. Will has never talked much about Helena or their relationship, at least not to her. But she knows that they had been together for a while, and a sudden guilt fills her chest at the idea that she might be the reason he ended things with Helena. Yesterday, it felt like a dream, out of time, out of space, out of reality. But right now is real and she feels the pressure of it like a weight on her chest, and suddenly, it all becomes too much.

"What's wrong?" Will asks, sensing the change in her.

She doesn't answer, so he searches her face for an answer, but her eyes are shut and her lips tightly pursed. "Alicia?"

She shakes her head from side to side, the rest of her body frozen. He frowns and slips out, coming to a sitting position and pulling her up with him.

"What's going on?" he asks, his worried eyes searching hers.

"Nothing," she breathes, her cheeks burning with shame and panic. "I just…"

She finds his eyes and he's definitely worried, like when he thought he'd hurt her before, or when he found her sitting in front of his door the other day and he grabbed her hand and saw that she was freezing. She remembers that he'd stared into her eyes then, and she must have looked devastated and pathetic because the only thing she remembers seeing in his eyes is _pity_.

"I have to…" she whispers, eyes moving frantically across her room. She gets up suddenly and makes her way to the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

She hears him follow her but he stays behind the door, doesn't try to open.

"Alicia," he starts, his voice full of worry and remorse. "Please talk to me?"

She doesn't answer, just sits on the toilet, and she feels stupid and childish and suddenly, she wants— she _needs_ to be back in his arms, and that scares her even more. She doesn't know why this situation is upsetting her, scaring her even, when all she wants is to feel his body against hers. She's never felt so confused about her own feelings before, and it's driving her crazy.

She hears his footsteps in the next room, and her heart rips apart at the idea that he's _walking away_ , and she's right to be scared because this whole thing was stupid, Will is her friend and they should never—

"Alicia," he says, knocking softly on the door. "If you don't say something I'm going to come in."

She opens her mouth wide, walks to the door, ready to close it, but before she has time to turn the lock, he's opened the door and he's standing in front of her.

She moves past him swiftly and goes to sit on the bed, her back to him, pulling the covers over her body.

He moves around the bed and sits next to her.

"Hey," he asks, leaning in to catch her eyes with his. "What was that?" he whispers.

She keeps her eyes trained on the wall in front of her. "We're being stupid," she says, voice low.

He shakes his head. "I don't think we are."

She turns to look at him, eyebrows pursed in a frown.

"Will, we're friends, we're not… I like what we have—"

"I know what we are—"

"—and I don't want to lose that," she says, voice shaking, lip trembling.

"You're not, Alicia, you're not going to—"

He wraps her in his arms then and she lets him pull her body against his, arms automatically wrapping around his shoulders, head tucked in the crook of his neck.

"I don't want this to mess us up," she whispers.

"It won't," he says running his hand up and down her back through the sheets that are still wrapped around her. "That's not gonna happen. Okay?"

She nods, pulling away gently. "So, we're friends?"

"We are," he smiles, "but," he adds, brushing the hair behind her ear, "I think maybe there's more?" he asks. "Don't you think?"

She pouts, bites her lip, eyes looking everywhere but into his.

"You're afraid it's gonna mess us up?" he asks, using her words.

She nods, but then finds his hand and grabs it, bringing it to her, holding it against her stomach. "I don't want to ruin it," she says, looking down.

"But it won't," he says, voice hopeful. "We won't. We'll take it easy, and slow, and it'll be good, okay? We'll be good."

She smiles, a little sheepish, so he pulls her into his arms again.

"Okay," she whispers.

"Don't go hiding from me though, okay? I mean, I think it's better when we talk, you know?"

She chuckles. "Okay."

He runs his arms up and down her back again, taking in her scent.

"We have to study," she says.

He smiles against her hair. "Okay, let's go then."

"Wait," she says as he's about to move from the bed.

His eyes are questioning, and full of care, and she doesn't know when she'll get used to it but she feels her heart fill with affection, her chest so tight from the feeling. She kneels on the bed in front of him, takes his face in her hands and captures his lips between hers. Slowly, he lets his hands rest on each side of her waist, and kisses her softly, letting her find a rhythm she's comfortable with. Her hands travel to his neck, his shoulders and his waist, and he kneels in front of her to bring their bodies closer together.

"I thought we were studying", he whispers.

"We are," she says, but instead of stopping, she brings her lips softly to nibble at his neck.

He sighs deeply, letting his hand climb slowly up her chest until he's cupping her breast.

"Or we could go read for Criminal Procedure, if you want," she breathes, and he can feel her lips turn into a smile against his skin.

He finds her mouth with his again and kisses her deeply, until they're both out of breath and have to pull away for a minute.

She smiles, lets herself get lost in his eyes, his warm chocolate eyes that break down all her barriers and make her lose her mind, and his smile, that puts it all back together for her, that tells her it's all going to be fine, that _they_ 're going to be fine.

They're going to be fine.

* * *

 **Author's note** **:** Hi again, thanks for reading! Thanks again to everyone who reviewed and welcome to the new readers :) Please let me know what you think of this chapter, I love reading your reviews :) I'll have the next chapter up next Monday. Thanks again for reading! - hannahorgrace


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's note :** Hi everyone, I'm sorry for how late this is, writer's block and life got in the way. Without further ado, I hope you enjoy! - hannahorgrace

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

As it turns out, the change in their relationship is not that obvious. They keep to themselves, most of the time, and it's not as if their friends aren't used to seeing them spending most of their time together already.

Neither of them is willing to make it a public spectacle, so their behavior doesn't change, for the most part. Sometimes, Will's hand will linger on the small of her back, and her eyes will hold his gaze longer than necessary, but it's not obvious enough for anyone to notice.

Anyone, except for Sarah.

"You haven't thanked me yet," she says to Alicia, one morning as they are both rushing in the kitchen, getting ready for a morning class.

"For what?" Alicia asks.

"For conveniently deciding to watch a movie in the living room that night that Will stayed over, last week," Sarah announces.

Alicia freezes. "You did that on purpose?!"

Sarah cocks her head to the side, smiles mischievously. "Are you seriously going to act like you're offended?"

Alicia shakes her head and smiles, ignores Sarah's question, and makes her way out of the kitchen.

Will is already outside when she leaves the apartment. He stands there with a smile on his face and when she reaches him, he wraps an arm around her waist and presses a quick kiss to the corner of her lips.

"Everything okay?" he asks.

She nods, "I might be going back home for the weekend."

"For your birthday?"

"Uh-uh," she nods. "Owen will be there too. It's kind of rare for all four of us to be home at the same time, these days, so I figured it might be a good opportunity," she adds.

"That sounds nice," Will comments. "When would you leave?"

Alicia shrugs. "If we didn't have that Criminal Procedure class on Friday afternoon, I would leave on Thursday night, but—"

"Hey, you should go," he interrupts. "I'll give you my notes when you come back."

Alicia frowns, lips twisting in hesitation. "I don't know, Will… I don't really like skipping classes like that."

He smiles. "I know you don't but, come on… it's your birthday."

"I know," she sighs. "I'll think about it."

The truth is, she wouldn't mind skipping classes if it meant being able to see her family for three whole days. She hasn't been home in months, and if Owen is to be believed, her parents are going through one of their infamous relationship crisis, yet again. Only this time, it seems serious.

She's deep in thought when the class ends, so she's the last one to gather her things and make her way out of the classroom.

"—so if you don't have any plans," Alicia hears as she walks out, "there's room for all of us, I think."

"Alright, that sounds like fun," Will answers. "I'll let you know!"

"Good," a girl from the group Alicia recognizes as Sienna says, quietly. "I'm sure we'll find a way to take your mind off of your ex."

Alicia frowns, but keeps her head low, not wanting her reaction to be noticed.

She makes her way out of the building, walking slowly, giving Will time to catch up with her.

"Hey," he says, falling into step with her. "Do you want to get lunch?" he asks.

"Uh-uh," she mumbles, an unpleasant feeling creeping up her stomach.

She's walking faster than usual and seems to be lost in her thoughts, he notices.

"You okay?"

"Yep," she answers. "You're right, I think I should go home on Thursday."

"Oh, that's good," he replies.

"What about you?" she tries.

"I don't know. Some people wanted to drive up to Atlantic City for the weekend."

She raises her eyebrows. "Are you going?"

"Maybe," he shrugs. "I don't know. I've never been there before. Have you?"

"No," she shakes her head. "Where would you stay?"

"Apparently Sienna's family has a house in the area," he answers.

"Right," Alicia smiles ironically, but Will is oblivious.

"What do you want for lunch?" he asks.

"I don't care," she answers, looking straight ahead.

"Alicia, what's up?" he asks, concerned.

"Nothing. I just— Anything is fine."

"Alright," he lets go. "I have leftovers in the fridge."

"I need to go back to my place first."

"Okay. I'll go with you and then we can—"

"No," she interrupts. "I'll just— I'll meet you at your place, okay?"

Will frowns, but decides not to push it. "Alright."

After dropping her books at her place, she makes her way to Will's apartment. He's in the kitchen when she walks in.

"Can I help with something?" she asks.

"Yes, you can put on some music in the living room," he answers.

"I meant in the kitchen, can I help with—"

"No," he interrupts. "It's all taken care of," he smiles.

She nods, walking back into the living room.

After five minutes, Will finds her sitting on the couch, head in her hands, in silence.

"Alicia, seriously, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, just—"

"You've been acting weird all day, something's up."

She sighs, clearly exasperated, and makes her way to the bathroom.

"You always do this," he says when she walks back in.

"What do you mean?" she frowns.

He shakes his head in disapproval. "Whenever something's upsetting you, you get all frustrated but you never say anything."

"What do you want me to say, Will?" she says, her voice loud. "Fine, I'm upset, but there's nothing you can do about it so please just drop it, okay?" she says, her tone almost angry now.

Will looks at her but stays quiet, until she raises her eyes to meet his. "Okay," he says, and makes his way to the kitchen.

Alicia sighs heavily and sits on Will's couch, taking her head in her hands again.

He's right, and she hates that he's right, but he does know her and it's true that she always acts like this, always keeps to herself whenever something's upsetting her. She's never been one to open up to other people easily, and Will is no exception.

She hates that she feels this way. She's not even mad at him, she realizes. She's mad at herself for being jealous. She's not going to be here next weekend, so why does it matter if Will goes to Atlantic City with their classmates?

She sighs. She doesn't want him to go, and she knows it's because that Sienna girl is going, because of the way she was acting around him earlier, because of how she looks at him whenever he's around.

Alicia is a rational person, and she's not jealous. But she hates the idea of other women hitting on Will. She hates that she's acting irrationally and that he can see right through her. It makes her feel so weak, so stupid. And she's mad at herself, because she knows Will has no fault in this whatsoever and she's still taking it out on him.

Sighing, she gets up to join him in the kitchen.

"— no, can't talk right now. I'll call you later," she hears him say as she comes into the room.

"Who was that?" she asks, more as a way to get the conversation started again than anything else.

"No one," he answers, putting the phone down.

She frowns. "No one?"

"Yeah, I mean, no one important," he says, eyes trained on the vegetables he's cutting up.

She steps closer next to him, eyes questioning.

"Alicia," he sighs, "it was no one, okay? Can you help me with the pasta, please? I think the water's boiling."

She sighs and moves to get the pasta. "If it wasn't anyone, why can't you tell me?"

Will sighs, shaking his head. "Seriously, drop it."

She sets the bag she's holding on the kitchen counter. "You know what, I'm not hungry anymore," she says, heading to the living room. "I'm going home."

"Oh, come on, seriously," Will says, following her, and watches her pick up her purse.

"I'll see you later," she says, closing the door behind her.

She calls Owen as soon as she gets home, tells him she's decided to visit for the weekend.

"I'm going to try to get a train on Thursday night," she says. "Can you tell mom and dad?"

"Sure," her brother answers. "I think Jack will be there, by the way."

"Jack?" she repeats. "Who's that?"

"A friend of mine."

Alicia laughs. "A _friend_?"

"Yeah, a friend. He's coming on Friday night."

"For how long?" Alicia asks.

"I don't know. We haven't figured out the details yet. Now," he says, changing the subject, "tell me what's wrong."

Alicia exhales. "It's just— it's nothing."

She hears Owen chuckle on the other side of the line. "It's Will, isn't it?"

She sighs. "I don't know what I'm doing."

Owen listens, quietly encouraging her to go on.

"He's my best friend. I can't afford to lose that."

"Why do you think that would happen?"

"Because," she starts, resolute. "Things happen, Owen, and more often than not, they go wrong, and then—"

"Sis," he interrupts. "If you get into a relationship with someone thinking that something will go wrong, trust me: it will."

He hears his sister sigh, but she doesn't say anything.

"But you have no reason to think anything will go wrong. You said it yourself, he's your best friend. That has to count for something, right? He's not some guy you met in a bar last weekend."

"I know," Alicia answers. "But I just have this feeling, you know?"

Owen sighs. "Like it's too good to be true?" he offers.

"Exactly."

"Well," he counters, "you don't know that. And even if that's the case, there's no shame in enjoying it while it lasts. Is the sex good?"

"Owen," she scowls.

"Oh, come on," he jokes. "Did you see him today?"

"Yeah. I think we had a fight."

"You think? What happened?"

"Nothing," she starts, "it was stupid… We were going to have lunch at his place, and then I just, I left, I went home, because I was upset, and I don't know—"

"You were mad at him?"

"No," she answers, "no, not at him, just… I don't know, Owen, I'm— it was stupid, I don't know what happened, I guess I was tired and… I feel like such an idiot."

"You sure sound like one."

Alicia scoffs. "Thanks."

"Look, sis, maybe you're stressed about something, maybe it's the finals, maybe you're just tired but… you can't blame him for that."

She sighs. "I know."

"You'll be fine," he adds. "Just don't be too hard on him, you know? I'm sure it's nothing."

She smiles. "Alright. I'll see you on Thursday night then?"

"Yep," he answers. "I'll come pick you up at the train station. Or Dad will, I don't know. Whichever one of us isn't arguing with Mom then."

She laughs. "Bye Owen."

She doesn't hear from Will again that day.

They don't have classes on Wednesday, so she goes to the library all day, but she doesn't see him, and she thinks maybe it's better this way. Maybe they've been spending too much time together. Maybe the change in their relationship was too sudden, maybe it was all too much, too soon.

She misses him, though. And she hates it.

On Thursday, he's already in the classroom when she gets there, and there are no empty seats next to him, so she sits in the back, and leaves as soon as the class ends.

* * *

Coming home, it turns out, is like a breath of fresh air.

In the end, Owen and her Dad are both at the train station when she arrives.

"Neither of us wanted to be left alone with Mom for too long," Owen jokes.

She smiles, and expects the worse, but at home, everyone is civil, and it feels good. It feels normal, and she's been craving normal.

On Friday, Owen asks her to go to the train station with him so they can get his friend.

"What does he look like?" Alicia asks, stretching her spine to make herself taller as she looks over the crowd of people who are rushing out of the train station.

"What?" Owen asks, mind visibly busy.

"Jack," she specifies.

"Oh. Tall, brown hair, green eyes... very good looking," he says through a smile.

Alicia searches through the waves of unknown faces, looking for someone who could match Owen's description. She doesn't really know what to expect, but she knows her brother, and maybe that fact is more helpful than the vague description Owen gave her. Still, she stands straight, chin up, heels off the ground, in search of brown hair and green eyes, which seems to be a rare combination tonight in Chicago.

She sees blue eyes, but the hair is light, and brown hair, but the eyes are chestnut, and to be honest, no one that seems to fit what she assumes is Owen's definition of good-looking.

Then, brown hair catches her attention, and a tall body, and her lungs seem to empty at the same time as her heart fills. It's sudden, and the eyes aren't green but they're warm, they're gentle, and her brain doesn't understand as fast as her heart does, but when it catches up, she finds herself unable to move.

"Will," she breathes.

* * *

 **Author's note :** Hi again, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please let me know in a review :) I promise to have the next chapter up next Monday. Thanks again for reading! - hannahorgrace


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's note** **:** Hey guys, sorry this is a little late. Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter! I hope you enjoy this one! - hannahorgrace

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

 _"Will," she breathes._

She hears Owen say something but her brain doesn't quite catch the words. She feels her brother step closer to her, eyes falling on her face.

"It's Will," she whispers.

She tries to rationalize the situation because it doesn't seem to make sense. Will is in D.C., he can't really be here, and it can't be his eyes looking back at hers, or his lips smiling in her direction, but it is. Her heart feels heavy in her chest, feels like it's taking too much space in her body, and Will can't be there because they had a fight and it makes no sense, until he's standing right in front of her, real and solid, his eyes kind and caring, and she feels unable to move but still, her feet walk the short distance that separates them and he opens his arms to her.

"Hey," he greets, wrapping his arms around her shoulders as her face comes to rest against his chest.

They stay like this until it becomes almost embarrassing, seeing as Owen is still standing there on his own. She takes a step back to look into Will's eyes and only then does she notice the gym bag he's carrying on his shoulder.

"Not exactly what I was looking for but well, we can keep him, if you insist," Owen interrupts his sister's thoughts.

"Owen," she says, taking a few steps back, "this is Will."

"Hey man," Will greets, extending a hand.

"Finally we meet," Owen answers, shaking Will's hand. "My sister talks about you. A lot."

Alicia sends Owen a dark glare.

"She talks about you too," Will offers.

Owen smiles, and she's grateful when he takes a step back, giving them some privacy.

Alicia's eyes find Will's again.

"I wasn't expecting this," she says, fighting the urge to smile.

"I know," he starts, stepping closer to her. "That's what surprises are for."

She gives in to her feelings and lets her lips turn into a smile.

"Is it okay?" Will asks, voice low and a little hesitant.

She nods.

"'Cause I can always take a train back home."

Alicia shakes her head.

"Okay, friends, can we get going?" Owen interrupts.

"What about Jack?" Alicia inquires.

"Oh, him," he says, walking towards his sister. "He doesn't exist. I made him up. It's just Will."

Alicia looks at him, confused.

"Happy birthday, sis," Owen adds, pressing a kiss on his sister's cheek.

Alicia turns around, eyes wide.

"You planned this?" she asks them.

"Yep," Owen answers as Will nods. "Let's go?"

She drives the car on the way back to her parents' house.

"Do Mom and Dad know?" Alicia asks, looking into the rear mirror into her brother's eyes.

Owen nods. "It was her idea to invite Will."

Alicia frowns. "How would she even— never mind," she says. "How long are you staying?" she asks Will.

"Just tonight," he answers. "I have to be at the train station again tomorrow at 6 pm."

"Why not until Sunday?" she asks.

"It's your weekend with your family," he offers. "I didn't want to intrude."

She stays quiet, eyes trained on the road. She's still surprised from seeing him in the train station. She casts a quick glance in his direction and finds him looking at her, a smile on his lips.

He looks genuinely happy to be there.

She thinks about Sienna, and Atlantic City, and the fact that Will is here.

She glances sideways to him, smiles. In return, he leans over and presses a chaste kiss on her cheek.

The good thing about this being a surprise is that she doesn't have enough time to stress about Will meeting her parents. And surprisingly, it goes smoother than she'd expected. Her mother doesn't embarrass her excessively, and doesn't ask any awkward questions — although Alicia knows it isn't over — and her father, who is usually very quiet, says just enough to make Will feel welcome.

Once everyone is properly introduced, Will follows Alicia to her room.

"You can put your things here," she says, clearing out the top of her cupboard for him. "If I'd known you were coming, I would have tidied up a little bit," she adds.

Will smiles, drops his bag on the cupboard she indicated.

"So," she starts. "You're here."

He smiles. "I am."

"We were in a fight," she murmurs.

It's not a question, Will figures, so he stays quiet.

"Look, Will, I'm sorry, I acted like a child," she starts, and he steps closer to her.

"It was stupid, I shouldn't have—"

He interrupts her with his hands on her cheeks and captures her mouth, kissing her softly. The end of her sentence dissolves against his lips and she sighs against his mouth. Slowly, he walks her backwards until her legs hit the edge of the cupboard and his body is fully pressed against hers. She lets her arms slide around his neck, leaning into him, pulling his mouth closer to hers.

He slides a hand into her hair, holding her close, and she thrusts her tongue in his mouth, deepening the kiss. She realizes then that there aren't a lot of things that she enjoys as much as she enjoys kissing him. She loves how passionate yet tender he is when he holds her and he kisses her, how his lips softly capture hers, how she can caress his tongue with her own, lazily, and it makes his fingers dig softly into her skin, keeping her there.

"I've been wanting to do that since I saw you at the train station earlier," he whispers against her cheek.

"I'm still surprised you're actually here," she says, hands falling to his hips.

"I can't stay mad at you for too long," he answers.

She looks down. "I was upset and I took it out on you," she whispers. "Sorry."

He smiles, shakes his head. "It's okay. But why don't you talk to me then, when you're upset?"

She frowns.

"I mean... I'm not saying you have to, but, you know," he hesitates, not wanting to seem overbearing. "You can. Even if you think there's nothing I can do."

"I know," she sighs. His eyes are warm and encouraging and she knows he means it. "It was stupid, Will, I—"

"Maybe it wasn't," he suggests.

She laughs, ironically. "No, it was," she adds, biting the inside of her cheek. Then, "It's just..." she rolls her eyes, realizing how silly it all sounds. "I thought you were going to Atlanta with Sienna."

Will purses his lips, trying to contain his smile. "You were jealous?"

She frowns again, shaking her head. "No, I wasn't jealous, I just don't like the way she—"

"You were jealous," he states, the ghost of a smile appearing on his lips.

"No, Will, I wasn't jealous," she defends herself, as if it's a dirty word, something she could never be. "I just... you know, she's very... I just don't like her, and I thought... I didn't know you two were friends."

"Alicia, I'm not interested in her."

She shakes her head. "That's not what I said, you can— Will, you don't need my permission, if you want to—"

"No, Alicia," he says, shaking his head. "You don't get it."

"What don't I get?" she frowns.

He takes a step towards her. "I don't..." he sighs, the weight of his feelings suddenly crashing down on him. "I don't want anyone else, okay? Not today, not tomorrow, not..."

He feels her gaze on his face and looks up into her eyes.

"I just want you."

She's quiet, searching his eyes, looking for a sign that he's not telling the truth, because even if he means it now, there's no guarantee he'll feel the same in a week, or a month. Even if he's being honest now, how could he know how he'll feel in a year?

"Just you," he repeats. "Okay?"

She finds nothing but sincerity and affection in his eyes, and even if she tries to be rational, to tell herself that these things don't _last_ , she wants to believe that he's right, that it's possible, because he means so much to her, and if it can't last for them then who can it possibly last for?

"So, we're in a relationship?" she asks, and it sounds entirely too naïve, but they were never great at communication, so she might as well ask.

He smiles. "Do you want us to be?"

She frowns. "What if—"

"Alicia," he interrupts, knowing in advance what she's going to say. "We're not going to change. We're not going to ruin anything, okay? I promise you."

"But how can you know that?"

"Because I do. I just know. And even if I didn't, I think it's worth giving it a shot," he says.

She sighs, leaning into him, and he wraps his arms around her as she does.

"Okay," she whispers against his chest.

"Okay," he repeats. "Good."

Dinner is unproblematic, which considering everyone involved, is the best Alicia could hope for.

After dinner, Will comes back from his shower to find Alicia in her bedroom, wearing nothing but a t-shirt and underwear. He closes the door behind him and lets his eyes linger on the curve of her calves, her naked thighs and her hips.

"God, you're beautiful," he murmurs, and she looks at him, clueless. He walks the distance that separates them and wraps his arms around her as his lips find hers. Her hands softly land on his chest, and then, as she snakes an arm around his neck, she lets her other hand crawl down his abdomen, and presses her hand against the soft fabric of the towel.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," he whispers against her lips.

"Too bad," she smiles.

He captures her lower lip between his, nibbling softly. "Don't get me wrong, there's nothing I want more," he says, hand crawling up to her breast, "I'm just not sure I want your parents to hear us."

She smiles. "I can be quiet," she breathes into his ear.

He swallows hard, the blood rushing in his body. "Yeah, I've heard that before," he comments, smiling.

He grabs her wrist gently and removes her hand from where it was, and pulls her in for a hug. "Raincheck?"

She laughs. "My parents like you, by the way," she starts.

"They do?" he asks. "What about you?"

Her smile fades and her face turns serious.

He immediately regrets his question, because he knows better than to fish for this kind of information, and he wants to take it back, but then—

"Me too," she whispers, and there is so much innocent honesty in her eyes, he feels like her words are coming directly from the deepest, truest parts of her heart.

He kisses her forehead and then her lips. "Bed?" he asks.

She nods. He puts on a t-shirt and his underwear before joining her, and pulling her into his body as he lies down behind her.

She wonders if Will decided to come because of the fight they had, or if he'd planned it before and was just trying to keep it a secret. Maybe he'd seen how upset she was when he didn't want to tell her who he was on the phone with—

She stops, thinks. Her brows furrow a little.

"It was Owen," she says, conclusively.

"What?"

"On the phone, when I asked who you were talking to."

"Oh," he says, his hand stroking her stomach lazily. "Yeah."

She sighs, turns her face around to look at him. "I'm sorry," she whispers.

He kisses the tip of her nose, nuzzles it with his own. "It's okay."

"I'm an idiot," she drops, turning around to settle in his arms again.

"Sometimes," he answers, mouth against her shoulder.

She laughs. He lets his fingers trace lazy circles against her stomach, and lower, until he hears her breath hitch, ever so slightly.

"I thought you were taking a raincheck," she says, curling her body a little more into his.

"Change of plans," he murmurs, his teeth grazing softly against her skin.

His fingers brush delicately against the inside of her thighs, aimlessly, with barely enough pressure for her to feel it. They slide below her underwear, softly, rubbing her skin until he feels her start to arch her body against him. He smiles against her skin and continues to touch her and kiss her, until he hears a soft moan come from her.

"Shhh," he smiles, kissing her neck and nibbling gently.

She doesn't say anything, instead just lays her hand on top of his to help his fingers move over her skin, increasing the pressure.

He lets her guide his hand, both intrigued and amazed. She sighs softly, and lets out a moan as he pushes a finger inside her. His hand stops moving, making her bite her lip in frustration.

"Baby," he whispers, lips brushing against her ear, "I really don't think your parents hearing that is a good idea," he murmurs.

She turns to face him. "Shower?" she asks, urgently.

"I was just there 15 minutes ago."

"I haven't showered yet," she whispers, making him smile knowingly.

They're not exactly quiet, but the sound of the water running covers their noises.

He holds her against his body, her legs wrapped around him, his hands holding her waist. Her lips are pressed against the skin of his neck, nibbling, following the drops of water that run across his skin.

His head is buried in the crook of her neck, and he moves slowly, listening intently to the sounds she makes.

"You okay?" she asks, breathing ragged already.

He pulls away so he can look into her eyes and kisses her softly. "Perfect," he breathes, his tone deep and earnest. "I wouldn't wanna be anywhere else," he adds.

She wraps her arms tightly around his shoulders. "I don't want anyone else either," she whispers, echoing his earlier words.

He looks into her eyes and smiles, then pushes deeper into her, making her gasp.

He feels her clench around him, so he concentrates on their rhythm, hands strong on her hips, until he feels her muffle her moans against the skin of his shoulder as she shudders against his body.

He keeps his mouth shut as he comes inside of her, her legs keeping him in place.

He lets his teeth graze slowly against the warm skin of her neck, biting softly.

"You feel so good," he breathes, trying to catch his breath.

She finds his mouth with hers and kisses him fully, chest heaving. He holds her tight against him, lips caressing hers, until her legs uncurl and he lets her drop to her feet.

A few minutes later, she settles against him in her bed and he wraps his arms around her, kissing the back of her head.

They fall asleep almost instantly.

* * *

 **Author's note** **:** Hi again, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please do let me know what you think. I don't know when the next chapter will be up (probably not next Monday, sorry about that), because I haven't started writing anything yet and to be honest, I'm not sure where I want to go with this story now that we're here. Hopefully I'll get ideas soon. In the meantime, I do hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for reading! - hannahorgrace


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